Current-relay.



A. s. cmm'r. CURRENT RELAY. APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1906.

949,997; Patented Feb.22, 1910.

Fig.2.

lllllllYlll Witnesses A Inventor: I W1 45; $151 i A'.S.Cubitt.

(2'7" 5 f Y- v UNITED sra'rns ra'frnnr ora ion.

AROHIBALD S. CUBITT, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW'YORK, ASSIGLEOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

I CURRENT-RELAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed April 17, 1906. Serial No. 312,071.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD S. cmim,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, re

vented certain new simplify the construction of relays and render their operation uniform and reliable.

In one of its aspects the present invention relates particularly to relays having a coil which is primarily an actuating coil and a second coil which 18 primarily a holding coil. A relay of this character is shown in Patent No. 798,342 granted on August 29, 1905, 011 an application filed by George H. Hill, wherein a combined checking and overload relay controls the automatic progression of a number of speed-controlling switches in a system of control for electric motors. There are two ooils' on this'relay: one adapted to lift the plunger in order to break the actuating circuit for the contactors; and another arranged in the motor circuitand adapted to prevent the plunger from dropping and completing the contactor actuating circuit whenever the motor current exceeds a predetermined value. It will be seen that since the two coils are acting on the same plunger, the plunger --will be lifted more quickly when the motor circuit is energizedthan where there is no current flowing in the motor circuit. And similarly, variation in the motor current varies the lifting effort upon the plunger. It is desirable, however, to have a relay operate uniformly under all condit-ions,. and therefore the present invention contemplates means for neutralizing the effect of the holding coil during the time it is not required. This is accomplished by separating the two coils by a Washer of magnetic material and so propo'rtioning the plunger that when it is in sition there is the part of the magnetic lines washer.

The present invention also comprises other its lowermost popractically'no tendency on holding coil to lift it, the being shunted through the features of construction which cheapen-and efficient simplify rela 's, render them more and provide or ready adjustment. I

The several features constituting the present invention, together with their objects and advantages, will more clearly appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l showsin cross-section a preferred form of relay embodying the various novel features of my invention; and Fig. 2 shows the same relay in side elevation. Reference being had to the drawing, 1 indicates a frame of magnetic material within which are arran ed coils 2and 3, thecoil 2 being illustratet as made up of a heavy conductor and the coil 3 as comprisinga 'fine conductor. These coils are placed within the frame one above the other and with their central openings in alinement. A piece of magnetic material 4, which 'may of the frame 1 but which is conveniently made separate therefrom, is arranged beform part tween the adjacent ends of the coils 2 and. 3.

The member 4, together with the portions of the frame surrounding the coil 2 and the plug 5 secured to the frame and extending welhdown into the coil 2, form an almost complete magnetic circuit for this coil to such an extent at least that there is very littleleakage below the member 4.

(S is the plunger of the relay and this plunger comprises a rod? passing up from beneath the frame 1 through the lnterior of the coils through the plug 5. Therod 7 carries at its lower end a movable contact member or disk 8 and at its able member 9 and the piston of a dash-pot 10. .A sleeve 11 of magnetic material is secured to the plunger rod at such ao'int that, when the plunger is in its raise position,

upper end the movthe upper end of the sleeve abuts against the lower end of plug 5, and when the plunger is in its lower position the' top'of the sleeve is located somewhat beneath the member 4. A second sleeve 12 is screwthreaded upon the lower end of the rod 7 and is so located that when the'plunger is down the major portion of this sleeve lies below the lifting coil. by adjusting the position of the sleeve12 on the rod and thereby varying its position with relation to the field of the lifting coil,

-the operation of the relay may be changed, Assuming that the plunger of the relay is down, then 'if'both of the coils are energized, it will be seen that while the effect of the holding coil 2 will be practically nothing,

It will be seen that" iii) since but few of the magnetic lines surrounding this coil stray to the sleeve 11, the plunger will, however, be lifted through the action of the coil 3, since the sleeve 12 will be drawn up in order to reduce the air-gap in the magnetic circuit of the lifting coil. ls soon as the plunger has won lifted, however, the holding coil becomes effective, since the presence of the sleeve 11 completes the small gap in the magnetic circuit of this coil. The member at, it will be seen, operates to produce the same effect as contacts which normally open-circuit or short-circuit the coil 2.

.llthough the relay may be used for other purposes, it is particularlyadapted for controlling a circuit; in which case the movable member of the circuit-controlling switch may conveniently be carried upon the lower end of the plunger, as previously stated. This movable switch member preferably consists of a disk of magnetic material which cooperates with fixed contact pieces 13 and 14, also composed of magnetic I1- The circuit which is controlled by the contacts 8, 13 and 14 also passes through two blow-out spools l5'and 1G surrounding tie fixed contacts and, when current is Howing, magnetizes them. It will thus be seen that when current is flowing through the contacts they are magnetically held in engement with each other against the pull or the plunger; and, by making the disk 8 loose upon the plui'iger and supporting it upon a spring 17, the plunger may move almostto its extreme upper position before the contacts are separated from each other; and, when so separated, the spring 17, which has been under tension, throws the disk upv/ardly so to make a quick break. This of especial advantage where the circuit containing the lifting coil is broken by the rel y contacts, since it insures the operation of the plunger into the field of the holding coil before the circuit of the lifting coil is interrupted.

The fixed contacts may conveniently be made of sheet metal having body portions 13 and I l arranged parallel to the line of movement of the plunger, and in-turned lips 13 and 14- with which the contact disk is at :pted to cooperate. This construction obviates the necessity of separate pole-pieces and are deflectors, since the iixed contacts act also as pole pieces and are deflectors. l' urthermore, since the fixed contact memlu-rs are in electrical connection with the blmv-out coils, the cnti re device may be constructed cheaply and compactly for the reason that the fixed coi'itacls are at the same potential as their corrcspoi'iding blow-out coils and there is, therefore, no necessity for careful insulation, except between blow-out coils and ground. This latter insulation is, how- (W ll, amply provided by the slab of insulating material 18 upon which the various parts are supported.

Although I have described in detail a preferred form of relay and one embodying all the various features of my invention. it will of course be understood that the relay may take other forms and the various features may be used together or independently of each other as occasion may require,-and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited to the particular construction and organization of parts illustrated except to the extent par ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the lniled States. is:

1. In a relay, a pair of coils, a magnet frame surrounding said coils, a transverse frame member separating said coils, and a movable plunger arrai'igcd to operate within said coils, said plunger huviu a portion adapted to be acted upon by (moot said coils and lying normally on the side of vsaid transverse frame member opposite that coil.

2. In a relay, a pair of coils arranged in alinement with each other, a frame of mag netic material surrounding said coils, a transverse frame member separating said coils from each other, and a plunger having a portion lying normally on one side of said tral'isverse member and adapted to be moved into the coil on the opposite side of said member upon the energization of the relay.

3. In a relay, a lifting coil, a holding coil, a frame of magnetic material surroundii'ig said coils and having a transverse member located between said coils, and a plunger of magnetic material supported within said coils for movement from the side of said piece of magnetic material on which said lifting coil is located to the side of said pieceoi' magnetic n'micrial on which said holdingcoil is located.

4. In a relay, a lifting coil, 'a. holding coil in axial alinemeut with said lifting coil, a frame of magnetic material surrounding said coils, said fran'ie having a transver e meu'ibor separating said coils from each other, and a. Hunger of magnetic material supported for nmvemcut within said coils having a portion lying normally within the lifting coil which is moved into the holding coil when said lifting coil is energized.

5. In a relay, :1 pair of axially alinod coils, a plunger having a portion adapted to he acted upon by one of said coils and lying normally out of the field of said latter coil. a second plunger portion adapted to be acted upon by the other coil and lying normally in position to be influenced by that coil, and means for moving said latter pluugor portion toward, and from the other plunger portion.

6. In a relay, a pair of coils arranged in axial alinement, a frame of magnetic materi'al surrounding said coils, a transverse frame member separating said coils, a plunger having a portion adapted to be acted upon by one of said coils and lying normally on the side of said transverse member opposite said latter coil, a second plunger por-' 7. In a relay, a pair of coils arranged in axial alinement, a frame of magnetic material surrounding said coils, a transverse frame member separating said,coils from each other, a plug extending from one end of said frame irito one of the coils and toward said transverse member, and a plunger having a portion arranged to be acted upon by the latter coil and a second portion arranged to be acted upon by the other coil, the arrangement being such that normally the first-named plunger portion'lies on the side of the transverse member opposite said plug and is moved into engagement with said plug upon the energization of the relay.

8. in a relay, a pair of coils arranged in axial alinement, a frame of magnetic mate-' rial surrounding 'said. coils, a transverse :t'rame-1nember separating said coils from each other, a plug extending from one end of said frame into one of the coils and toward said transverse frame member, a plunger having a portion arranged to be acted upon by the latter coil, and a second portion adapted to be acted upon by the other coil, the arrangement being such that normally the first-named plunger portion lies on the side of the transverse member opposite the said plug and is moved into engagement vith said plug on energization of the relay, and means for varying the position of the second plunger portion with relation to the first plunger portion.

9. In a relay, a pair of coils arranged in axial alinement, a frame of magnetic material surrounding said coils, a transverse tramemember separating said coils from ach otheipa fixed stop, a plunger having a portion adapted to be acted upon by one of said coils and a second portion adapted to be acted upon by the other coil, the arrangement being such that normally the firstnamed plunger portion lie on the side of the transverse member opposite its corresponding coil and is moved into that coil and into engagement with said stop upon the energization of said relay, and means for varying the position of the second plunger portion with relation to the first plunger portion.

10. In a relay, pair of axially alined coils, a plunger having a portion adapted to be acted upon by one of said coils and lying normally out of the field of said latter coil, a second plunger portion adapted to be acted upon by the other coil and lying normally in position to be influenced by that coil, means for moving said latter plunger portion toward and from the other plunger portion, and a fixed stop, the arrangement being such that when the relay is energized said first-named plun er portion is moved into the field of its coil and into engagement with the stop. Y

11. In a relay, a plunger, a lifting coil, a. contact plate ot'magnetic material yieldingly supported by said plunger, fixed contacts of magnetic material with which said first mentioned contact plate engages, and a blowout coil surrounding each of said fixed contacts and electrically connected in series therewith.

12. A switch, comprising a movable contact disk, a pair of fixed contacts, each composed body portion and an in-turncd lip for engagement with said movable contact disk, and electroresponsive meansfor magnetizing said fixed contacts.

13. A switch, comprising a movable contact and fixed contacts cooperating therewith, said fixed contacts being composed of strips of magnetic material having portions arranged in planes parallel'to the direction of movement of the movable contact and with said movable contact, and electrorecontacts.

14. A switch, comprising fixed and 1novable contacts composed of magnetic mate rial, said fixed contacts consisting oi strips having portions arrangedparallel to the direction of movement of the movable contact and having iii-turned lips arranged to enresponsive means for magnetizing said fixed contacts.

15. A' switch, comprising cooperating fixed and movable contacts composed of magnetic material, said fixed contactsconsisting of strips having portions arranged in parallel to the direction of movement of the movable contact and having in-turned lips arranged to engage with said movable contact, and blow-out coils in series with said fixed contacts. 7

In witness whereof, l'liavc hereunt'filisetmy hand this 16th day of April, 1906.

ARCHIE S. CUBIIT.

\Vitnesses;

' BENJAMIN l3. HULL,

llnnnx (lm om).

of a strip of magnetic material having a.

having in-turned lips arranged to engagev sponsive means for magnetizing said fixed gage with said movable contact, and electro- S 

